Dinner - Blog Posts
Quick and Easy weeknight dinners!
This week I have ACTUALLY started my routine of eating healthy everyday and getting back to my love for long distance running. Starting on Easter Sunday I have ran daily and cooked healthy meals. It has only been a few days but I feel like I have more energy, and I wake up looking forward to getting outside and getting in my exercise.
These meals were so quick and easy, each took just about 10 min to prepare. PERFECT for a busy week, balancing work and fitness. I started this week so I could get into the routine of work, eating healthy, and working out because I start my new job next week! :) I’m actually excited to get back into the hustle and bustle of working and being busy!
The first meal was a healthy spin on DELICIOUS TACOS! I used lean ground turkey instead of ground beef, spinach instead of iceberg lettuce, fresh avocado slices, and just a sprinkle of low-fat cheese instead of smothering the entire plate with a giant handful. Just one confession I still used a dollop of regular sour cream because that was all I had, maybe next time I’ll get adventurous and use Greek yogurt. I am definitely one to be able to put away a few tacos in one sitting, but this was so filling I only had the one. I was full before I even got to the rice, and rice is my favorite! No matter how much I love rice I listened to my body and didn’t even touch it, and this turned into a very delicious, light, LOW CARB dinner. :)
The second meal was delicious habanero chicken sausage with asparagus and brown rice. I absolutely love hot links and subbed them out for a healthier version with the chicken sausage. One of my favorite ways to make asparagus is coating them in olive oil, salt and pepper, and fresh grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. This time I skipped the parmesan cheese and the asparagus came out just as delicious and flavorful. Making these two small substitutes made this dish a little more healthy but was still bursting with flavor. And the chicken sausage was just as spicy and flavorful!
Trying to eat a healthier diet starts with just small substitutes and can still be just as delicious!
Pizza My Heart!
Although I am on a health kick, I can’t tell you a time that I don’t crave PIZZA! There is something about the gooey cheese and delicious toppings stacked and bubbling together on top of a thin crispy crust. I usually go the delivery route or pop a frozen pizza into the oven, which are both tasty but I wanted to make my own pizza for this recipe. Something a little lighter, a bit healthier, and A LOT quicker.
The best part of this recipe is how incredibly quick and easy it is to make! PERFECT for a weeknight dinner or a quick lunch on the go, or if your like me it even makes for a good breakfast. After making this recipe that’s EXACTLY what i did. I had it for lunch a few days in a row and breakfast one of those days. it only cost about 15$ to get all of the ingredients and I had days and days of fresh leftovers, way better than the price for delivery. It took about 10 minutes total from prepping my ingredients to the plate hot and ready to enjoy!
First I added fresh garlic to the olive oil and brushed it over the flatbread. Popped it into the oven for about five minutes without the toppings (to ensure that it was extra crispy). Then I layered on the mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes. I chose to use cherry instead of regular tomatoes because I don’t like tomatoes very much, but I LOVE margherita pizza. The cherry tomatoes are much sweeter and can be sliced extra thin and small, also their bright red color gives the food an extra pop for presentation.
I then placed the flatbread with the toppings back into the oven for 5 minutes. When i pulled them out they were hot and bubbly! I chopped fresh basil and covered the top of the pizza (I prefer a lot of basil because of the delicious fresh flavor it adds to this dish). To top it off i drizzled some more olive oil and balsamic vinegar which combines all the flavors of the ingredients together beautifully.
NOW TIME TO SLICE AND ENJOY! :)
This flatbread was made with such few ingredients and they all were fresh.The bold flavor of this pizza was unbelievable. I tend to like to dip my pizza in ranch but this pizza was SO TASTY, no ranch was needed. The rich flavor from so few fresh ingredients made this flatbread a healthier choice and absolutely AMAZING. Don’t forget to sprinkle red pepper flakes on top to add a little kick, but this is only for the daring ;)
Ingredients:
1 naan
3 pieces of sliced to 1/3- 1/2 inch thickness fresh mozzarella cheese
1 tomato, sliced as thin as possible
5-6 leaves basil
3 cloves garlic, pressed; or 1 tsp dry garlic powder
1.5 Tbsp Olive oil
1.5 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
Press fresh garlic and mix with oil.
Brush the flatbread with oil & garlic with half the mixture. Place in preheated to 350F oven for 5 minutes to crisp up.
Remove from oven and place 3 slices of cheese on top of the flatbread, sprinkle with salt & pepper, then place thinly sliced tomatoes on top and repeat with a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes, plus extra 2-3 minutes on broil. Watch the bread closely, if its too dark before 2-3 minutes remove it from the oven immediately.
Meanwhile mix the remaining oil & garlic with the balsamic vinegar, stirring until a smooth emulsion forms.
Chop the basil leaves.
Once flatbread pizza is baked and the edges are golden in color, remove from the oven, drizzle with however much of the balsamic vinegar mixture you would like, sprinkle with basil leaves, slice and serve and enjoy!
>:3
:3
Sorry for taking so long with this drawing, it was supposed to be done days ago, but it got pushed back due to distractions and my tooth ache, I also tried to make an incorrect quote of this but I ended up developing writer's block.
Anyways, this drawing is loosely inspired by a YT clip from "the Simpsons" where they discovered Ethiopian food.
Medea was on an outing with the Oingo Boingo brothers in Cairo when her car suddenly broke down(as DIO gave her a crappy car to use unless she pledged loyalty).
Even worse but Boingo was hungry and some of the nearby restaurants are closed, except for one Ethiopian joint that opened up in '84.
So they decided to check the place out while also calling for someone at DIO's mansion to pick them up. There they ordered a Yetsom Beyanetu, a vegetarian combination dish.
It was really delicious and it reminded Medea of how she used to do eat tortillas with Mexican food the same way back home(as California has Hispanic influences). Meanwhile Oingo is quite unsure about the dish while Boingo wants to have a sample.
Medea King belongs to me
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